PENNSVILLE TWP. — The deep hole, left in the economic recession’s wake, has already cut one rooted local tradition — the Septemberfest Parade.

But in keeping a promise, the parade will be the only missing part of the 39th-annual event this weekend.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, Riverview Beach Park will become a sea of people, gathered to honor annual traditions at this year’s 2010 Septemberfest.

Arguably the most anticipated part of Septemberfest, next to the parade, are the fireworks display, and Septemberfest Committee Chairman Ray Stiles said the show will be better than ever before.

“The fireworks will happen at dusk, and no, they absolutely have not been cut,” he said. “The gentleman who does our fireworks display has worked with us for years, and they just might boost it up a notch this year.”

Stiles said the dusk fireworks will begin sometime between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

“It’ll probably be better than ever,” he said of the 2010 fireworks.

In lieu of the parade, committee members will hold a service memorializing the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001. During the service, Stiles said a ribbon will be cut, opening the park for the day.

“Since there’s no major parade this year, and Septemberfest is on 9/11, we’ll open with a ribbon-cutting and a memorial service in honor of Sept. 11,” said Stiles. “The service starts at 11 a.m., when the parade used to begin. But we know the parade will be missed.”

Stiles said the parade was such a local staple. He added he was contacted by a local woman after the parade’s cancellation, who offered to fully fund the 2010 Septemberfest parade.

“An anonymous donor contacted me about paying for this year’s parade, she’s a woman, but I don’t know who she is,” said Stiles. “She was so sad it would be missing, and upset that people in town didn’t care enough to try and restore it.”

Its total cost Stiles said easily tops $25,000. The reason her offer wasn’t accepted? Bad timing.

The offer presented itself four weeks before the date of Septemberfest.

“I said to her, ‘I really wish you were around a few weeks ago,’” Stiles said. “There was just no way we could pull the parade together in four weeks. We need to complete parade contracts, schedule high school marching bands, it just wouldn’t have worked out.”

But Stiles said hopefully the parade will reappear next year.

“I told her I’d contact her about next year’s Septemberfest, and if she’s in the same financial situation she’s in now, we’d work something out,” he said.

While the parade couldn’t be shaped in time for Saturday, Stiles said everything else is in order.

“We’re at crunch time at this point, but everything’s pretty much under control,” he said.

Since June, Stiles said the committee has added new food vendors, a dunk tank, new booths, and more.

Following the memorial service, local police and firefighters will be honored, and the 2010 Miss Septemberfest will be introduced. The American Legion Band will start playing live music by 11:30 a.m.An art contest will be held throughout the day, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Entries will be on display at the contest booth.

The Pennsville Historical Society’s booth theme will be Pennsville Township Elementary School class photos, and this year’s postcard will showcase a ferry boat. Past postcards will be available for purchase.

Various raffle drawings will be announced throughout the day. All 50/50 tickets can be purchased at the raffle booth.

For $10 per person, hungry patrons can indulge in John Acton’s chicken and pork barbecue from noon until 6 p.m.

The gazebo will feature music throughout the day, starting with The Kelly Kaysee Band at 1 p.m. The Dallas Band will follow, and The Good Tymes Band will finish playing at 9:30 p.m.

Septemberfest-goers can enjoy amusement rides all day long. Craft booths, exhibits, and other entertainment will be on-site throughout the event, which ends at 10 p.m.

In the event of rain, Septemberfest will be rescheduled for Sunday.

“There are so many people who love coming every year,” said Stiles. “When you walk in the park, you hear stories, people reminiscing about years’ past.”

But the event, in its entirety, is a product of many people who put in countless hours. Stiles said the 2010 Septemberfest committee consists of around 25 people, who volunteer time to preserve a locally-loved tradition.

“The committee that I have, they all have a piece of this puzzle, and they work to put it together each year,” he said. “We each have a puzzle piece, and as long as we all do our part, it all comes together. So kudos to them.”